For an alternative to the obvious festive tipples, Christmas cocktails are all the rage, so in true Shopping Vouchers style, we've dug out a few recipes to give a twist on the traditional...enjoy!
1) Christmas Cookie
Everyone loves cookies right? Especially when they're of the Christmas Cookie Cocktail variety. Tasting a little like a naughty peppermint latte (if it were made with three shots of alcohol) – be warned, this thing packs one helluva punch.
Best suited for after dinner, you can also add Tia Maria, or replace the Bailey's with any Irish Cream of your choice. Who needs 'real' deserts when you can have a little slice of heaven like this.
Ingredients:
- 25ml peppermint schnapps
- 25ml Kahlua
- 25ml Bailey's
Combine the ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake thoroughly, and then strain the ingredients into a chilled martini glass.
2) Poinsettia
This easy to drink champagne cocktail known as The Poinsettia is ideal for the Christmas season. Totally quaffable and easy to drink, it's an ideal replacement for the boring bucks fizz people might have with brunch. The cranberry adds that winter feel, and (if you're really bothered), even acts as one of your five a day. Honest!
Ingredients:
- Champagne
- 12.5ml Cointreau
- 75ml cranberry juice
Put the Cointreau and cranberry juice in a chilled champagne flute. Stir them and top the rest of the way with champagne.
3) Apple strudel
No need for a fork with this Apple strudel. A ludicrously tasty vodka based cocktail; the mix of blackberry and vanilla flavours really do add a warm Christmasy flavour.
Ingredients:
- 50ml Bison vodka
- 12.5ml Krupnik (Polish honey liqueur)
- 12.5ml blackberry fruit purée
- Dash vanilla gomme (sugar syrup)
- 75ml apple juice
Shake over ice and strain, pour over ice into a tall glass and top with champagne.
4) Dead by Christmas
We just threw this one in because of the name.
Fill a highball glass with ice. Then add:
- 25ml of strawberry liqueur
- 25ml of absinthe
- 12.5ml of fresh lime juice
- A splash of soda water
Just stir and enjoy. By the time you recover, it will be New Year's Eve.
5) The Snowball
We end our cocktail exploration with this 80's classic! Tasting like Christmas itself, you can't fail to get festive (should that be, merry??) on this simple and delicious mix of Advocaat, lemonade and as (remember) ICE!
Ingredients:
- 50ml Advocaat
- 200ml cold lemonade
- 1 slice of lemon
- Ice, ice, and more ice
Place one ice cube in the glass and add 1 1/2 oz of Advocaat. Fill up the glass with lemonade and decorate with a slice of lemon. Serve at once.
